NOCHI Niceties
What a joy it was to enter a building that was abuzz with lively chatter and decorated with dozens of colorful balloons! Add Merry Antoinettes (all with têtes intact!) and a pair of chef-garbed stilt walkers, and the fun increased in a setting with a tropical twist. Event planner Tessa Martinez and her team from Contessa & Co. returned for the fourth year for NOCHI’s Cooking for a Cause, presented by Hancock Whitney. It unfolded in the NOCHI (New Orleans Culinary and Hospitality Institute) building with a patron party as the social overture, followed by the main event. The lobby featured a custom step and repeat, flanked by the above stilt walkers and featuring the CfaC, NOCHI and Hancock Whitney logos.
The balloon installation, in a bright kaleidoscope of tropical colors, was adorned with flowers, butterflies, fish and, befitting the cause, further food and cocktail items inspired by Salvador Dali and Andy Warhol. The installation draped the signature staircase that arched down toward the six-foot marquee letters spelling out NOCHI. For the greenery effect, yucca posts, palmetto palms, giant monstera, hydrangeas, and eucalyptus were placed strategically.
The Merry Antoinettes, who caught every eye in their fetching, and elaborate costumes, guided guests to the elevators, which took them to the fifth-floor event lobby. There, an abundant cornucopia display of tropical fruits and vegetables provided by A.J.’s Produce was surrounded by a lush tropical plant display from Crazy Plant Bae. Within the social space, roses, ranunculus, hydrangeas, Queen Anne’s lace, delphinium and stock were placed in bud vases and set on the tables. Lilly Bird linens by Nuage Designs furthered the tropical theme.
Paces away, and in the RNDC (Republic National Distributing Company) Beverage Lab, floor-to-ceiling bookcases showcased the auction and packages, the highest number to date, that elicited bids throughout the evening. More balloons crested the bookcases under which was “AUCTION” in lighted letters. In a corner were two ice water dispensaries, a prudent gesture for folks who were just plain thirsty. Nearby, and outside on a terrace-deck, a number of guests savored a libation and the view.
For the spirited entertainment, music making came via Dr. Michael Torregano of the Ellis Marsalis Center, as well as the N’Fungola Sibo African Dance and Drum Company, Inc.
At 7 p.m., as NOCHI partygoers gathered in the Grand Hall for a short program, event co-chairwomen Wendy McCarthy Beron and Lizabeth Boulware (with spouses Thomas and Bruce) thanked guests and sponsors for their support in training learners in culinary skills, and recognized the evening’s 2025 honoree, NOCHI board member, Susan Spicer, for her decades of showcasing our city’s cuisine culture. She was joined by Jonas Owens, managing partner of her restaurant Rosedale. Further honorees were Denise and Bill Hoffman, who have championed NOCHI’s mission and the future of hospitality in the city.
Generating a lot of excitement was the announcement by NOCHI founders and board members Ti Martin and Dickie Brennan that in April The Goldring Family Foundation committed $5 million in matching funds to ensure NOCHI’s long-term success. It was the largest gift in the NOCHI history. This matching gift has motivated the hospitality industry and community to contribute. Recent donors have been Paulette and Frank Stewart, Joy and Boysie Bollinger, Lauren and George Brower, and many others. Live bidding led by auction co-chairs and NOCHI board members Kyle France and John Stubbs generated excitement for 62 unique hospitality experiences.
Needless to say, food features were on parade. A “Swine Second Line” introduced a giant whole roasted pig. Elsewhere, a Louisiana Seafood raw bar attracted lovers of the bivalves. Among the alumni chefs who prepared dishes were Patrick Teagle, Martha Gilreath, Lizzie Algero, Alvin Johnson, Necie Johnson, Tia Monet, Krystle Pitcher, Jaleel Mosley, Kizzy Danner, and Dominique Melancon.
Notables were numerous and included the Bollingers, Katie and Pepper Baumer, 2024 Cooking for a Cause honorees Julie and Ted George with Ellie, Billy Crosby, Erin Saer, Martha and John Landrum, NOCHI alum chef Zoe Chase, Tracie and Michael Griffin, Karen and Henry Coaxum, Louisiana Restaurant Association President and CEO Stan Harris, and from Hancock Whitney, CEO John Hairston, Lindsay Wands, Hartley Crunk, Liz Hefler, and Marguerite Moisio. To mention a few. Those ranks were swelled by Bryan Batt and Tom Cianfichi, Elizabeth Boh, Kathleen Van Horn, Frog White, and scores more who were cooking up their own recipe for fun. And culinary philanthropy.
Pi Phi
Nourishment for the mind and body figured prominently at the recent gathering of the New Orleans Pi Beta Phi Alumnae Club. Headlining the invitation was “Wine, Silver Blue and Philanthropy Too.” Wine and silver blue are the colors of the sorority, also described as “an international women’s fraternity,” that was founded in 1867. Pi Phi promotes not only friendships, but also philanthropic service through its literacy programs.
For the above Sunday afternoon togetherness, alumna Donna Diboll Flower was the hostess at her handsome uptown home. Included were Arielle Steers Gingrow and Chloe Beals, respective Alumnae Club president and vice president of membership; a Liz trio in Mmes. Hailey, Williams and Landry; and a mother-daughter duo in Cindy Ellington and Cynthia Schreiber. Also, Patsy Green, Tina McLellan, Edie Wilson, Nancy Rathborne, Molly Douglas, Juliette Cassagne, Margaret Maxwell, Elizabeth Frost, Holly Snodgrass, and Jeanie Perrilliat. Everyone brought books for the Little Free Library units around the city, and also donated money for STAIR (Start the Adventure in Reading). Halfway through, Arielle addressed the crowd with all that the club has been doing and promoted the upcoming December Angel Ornament Exchange.
Lively conversation followed as members gathered around the dining room table for such treats as deviled eggs, fruit and veggie bites, dips, oversize chocolate chip cookies, and from Arielle, light and dark honey from her eponymous Bee Hive.
Bon Appétit
Project Lazarus has a long history of serving those living with HIV/AIDS in the Greater New Orleans area by focusing on wellness, housing and support services. Fundraising for this mission is paramount. The most recent one, titled Bon Appétit and chaired by Tony Leggio and PL leadership, took place at the Audubon Aquarium, where auction action, bubbly, dessert and dancing filled the bill. So did Bryan Shurigar as a costumed merman seated in a huge clam shell (Mardi Gras Production, Inc), the Merry Antoinettes’ cavorting, Vanessa Carr Kennedy and Vantasika Divine’s drag performances, and DJ Paul Lakeway’s music. Prior to that gallivanting, there were a slew of pre-parties, thanks to Fletcher Jernigan, Nick Daigle, Lance Hebert, Danny Post, Jerry Fredieu, and Falon Brown; Daniel Robbins and Jeffrey Wickwier; Chad Graci, Collin Magee and Louis David; Chris Sellers and Tommy Servantez; Romy Thompson and Rachel Hoag; Cary Oswald and Black Tie Club New Orleans; and Libby Bowles and Meredith Smith.
The latter hosts, who raised $3,000-plus, entertained at Meredith’s impressive home. Milling as guests were Lisa Johnson and Linda Pierce, Kevin and Kristen Schorp, Brandee Lasuzzo, Shani Silver, Benjamin Gulick, Deepa Bhatnagar, Daphne and Kurt Stratton, Jessa Carlson and Matt Findley, and Hayley and Kevin White. To mention a few, who relished all the delicious food — eggplant caponata and tortellini, meatballs, flatbreads, Caprese skewers, and sandwiches — and drinks, both “non” and alcoholic. Especially popular, along with the Italian Paloma and Aperol spritz, was the Negroni.
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